


Confrontation

by Ibenholt



Category: Ai no Kusabi
Genre: M/M, OC, OCs - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-01
Updated: 2019-04-01
Packaged: 2019-12-30 06:14:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,093
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18309830
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ibenholt/pseuds/Ibenholt
Summary: A bad night for Riki gets a lot better, and then a lot worse again.





	Confrontation

**Author's Note:**

> This was not how I had intended to introduce my OCs, and I apologize, but I promise more material about them is coming. If you'd like more insight, please have a look at character-bios in the ANK-discord!

 Ester Aspara’s return had shaken Eos to its core.

For once, Riki was as much in the dark as any other pet. All they knew was that she was The First Elite, and that their masters cowered whenever she approached or spoke to them. Like they were seeing a ghost they had too much respect to run from.

But once the shock of seeing her had subsided, her pet was the next one to get gawked at. While Ester was every bit an elite with her strong, yet slender frame, and slightly androgynous appearance, Nade was all soft curves, a new hair color every other day and a polished slumdog attitude.

They couldn’t have been more different, and somehow, they complimented each other.  

All Riki knew was that he liked the lady, and he liked Nade. And he liked how they were finally making the Eos-residents treat him like week-old news. On what had been his second outing to Eos-nightlife, the women had marched into the room like they owned the place and were sizing it up for parts. Ever since, everyone had been in an uproar and only able to talk about them.

He had not been that lucky with Iason, however. No matter how annoyed or stressed out Iason seemed by his sister’s return, his attention remained on Riki. Even going so far as to insisting he come out with him to a newly opened place in the city.

The restaurant was… weird. That was the only way Riki could describe it as Cal led him in. It was shining and new, but rather than the state of the art, polished and sterile look most of Eos had, this place seemed to want to emulate something old and elegant. Not ancient, but close enough. It was as if the old dive back in Ceres had been scrubbed down and made elegant instead.  

Cal muttered something about the 1950s, but Riki didn’t have a clue what the hell that was supposed to mean.  

The Furniture led him to a table, and attached his leash to a ring on the underside of it.  

The table was bolted to the floor. Typical.

Riki got seated and did his best to avoid meeting anyone’s eyes. He’d been staring at the table decoration when he noticed that Cal was still there and looking deeply reluctant to leave.

“I-I’m sure Master Iason will show up soon.”

“Or I’ll die here.”

“That’s not funny, Master Riki.”

“I didn’t mean it to be.”

Riki said. He finally had to look away when Cal’s doe eyes seemed to glaze over. It had taken them a while to warm up to each other, but it had happened and, and Riki found himself responding to the small freedoms Cal gave him (the extra chocolate treats and not telling on him if he smoked too much) by making things easier for him. Cal was not his enemy. He was not about to make the same mistake he made with Darryl.

“Go home, man. I’ll see you tonight.”

“Very well, sir. I assure you Master Iason will be here soon.”  

He bowed, then left the establishment. The moment he was out of the door, Riki waved a waiter over,

“I’ll have a cocktail.”

“No, you won’t.”

The response was so blunt Riki swore his head spun for a moment,

“What?”

“Your master is not here yet. As such, you are not to eat or drink anything until he arrives.”

Before Riki could protest, the waiter had turned around and was headed for another table.

There wasn’t even a pitcher of water set out for him. No breadsticks or other forms of snacks. Only a small illuminated ball. Living flame could be dangerous, after all.

Riki hadn’t brought anything to distract himself, and an unease was coming over him as the tables filled up. All the stares from the elites, and the giggles from the pets that he had ignored now felt like hundreds of needles boring into his skin. He felt itchy all over, but didn’t dare scratch himself. They were all looking at him, ridiculing him. His throat felt as if it was closing.

Iason had left him here to die. He was going to die of thirst, hunger and exhaustion, and everyone here was going to watch it happen.

He was close to grasping his chest when the lights hit the stage. A rotund man came out from the curtains and bowed deeply,  

“Honored guests, tonight we have the pleasure of treating you all to the luscious tones of Nade the Nightingale.”

 

_What?_

_Lord Espara’s pet?_

_It’s the other mongrel!_

 

The curtains parted, revealing Nade and a band. At first glance, she appeared to be naked, covered only in what had to be a million strategically placed rhinestones. But once Riki looked closer, he saw that they diamond collar and bracelets she wore were trying to hide a bodysuit.  

Her hair was done up, and she was strutting around in heels so high Riki wondered how she maintained her balance.

At any other time, she would have looked in her element, but Nade looked bored, if anything. She looked ten million times too good for this place, and like she knew it. Riki looked around, trying to spot Ester, but no chance. Standing at least a head and half over even her tallest brother, Jupiter’s firstborn was not exactly easy to miss. He wondered if that was why Nade looked the way she did. Was she unhappy that Ester wasn’t there to see her perform?  

As Nade adjusted the microphone, she spotted Riki, and a transformation took place as her eyes started sparkling. She tensed up before springing into an excited jump,

“Riki, baby!!”

She waved like an idiot and cackled,

“It’s Riki, you guys!! Hey, Donny! Smile for me, c’mon!”

They had exchanged maybe a couple of sentences, and yet Nade acted as if she had found her long lost best friend. Riki felt embarrassed, but the anxiety was washed away. For all her pointing, the eyes of the pets and their masters remained glued to her. She put her hands on her hips and exhaled,  

“Alright! I thought this was gonna suck, but now you’re here, so I’m gonna put on the best show I can! Boys, let’s go!”

The band burst into a fast-paced number and Nade’s voice boomed throughout the room. Riki stared at her as she danced her way through the whole thing, never breaking a sweat or faltering in her singing. When it was over, he almost felt like standing up to show his appreciation.  

“Thank you, folks! What a beautiful crowd I have this evening!”

She walked off the stage, down marble stairs and over to a Master and Pet, with the latter being her focus.   

“A Ruby and an amethyst, how cute! What’s your name, bebe?”

“Zil.”

“Zil! Say hi to Zil, people!”

 No one did, but Nade didn’t care,

“Cute name. So were you born with zilch, or do you just know zilch?”

Zil looked completely lost. He was maybe a second away from having his mouth hanging open.

“Did I confuse you?”

No answer.

“That’s alright, baby, I’ll give you some time to think about it!”

Nade patted his cheek and moved on, slinking across the tables. She made a pass at Orphe, who looked beyond mortified. She got a kiss from Gideon, who seemed all to happy to oblige, until he had to comfort his pet. Once she asked Aisha about their lipstick color, it seemed to be enough for all the Blondies, and she pointed her pointy shoes to Riki.

“Evening, Donny.”

She purred and sat down on his lap,  

“Am I crushing you?”

“Lil’ bit.”

She put her weight on her leg, and placed an arm around his neck,

“I guess this ain’t what you meant when we first met up and you wanted to be smothered by my thighs, huh?”

She laughed into the mic,

“These things double as ear muffs, people! If you go down on me, there could be an explotion going on behind you, and you’d be none the wiser until the fires reached your ass!”

Now the audience joined in, too.

“Speaking of bodies, seems like you lost some weight, Donny. Where’s bossypants?”

Riki shrugged. Had he given a shit, he would be worried. The night was passing by fast, and no one seemed to know anything about Iason’s whereabouts. Or if they did, they sure as hell weren’t discussing it with him,

“Figures. Iason Mink, everyone! Shitty dresser, shittier pet-owner! I swear…At least my mistress…!”

Riki’s stomach suddenly gurgled, and he sighed in relief that only Nade noticed. She paused and poked his side before turning to the waiter from before,  

“Ey! Have you given my Donny anything to eat?”

He shook his head nervously,

“No? This is pet endangerment, people! Nuh-uh! Riki, baby, get whatever you want. I’ll put it on Ester’s bill.”

The waiter began to protest and Nade put her hands in her sides again and scream-whispered something Riki was certain was equally obscene and convincing. The waiter went off in a huff and Nade brought the mic back to her lips,

“Well, then… I think that’s quite enough chatter for now. How about another song?”

Polite applause follow and she ran back up to the stage.

Just moments later, Riki was downing two big glasses of water and digging into a steak as big as his own head.

Nade going berserk on stage. She sang and danced and told nasty jokes in-between that had him close to choking on his food from laughter. She brought out a selection of stunning girls who danced behind her, and then with her. She sang ballads so sad she made herself cry, and humorous songs she barely got through. Finally, slightly red in the face, Nade bowed deeply,  

“That’s it for tonight, folks! Thanks for coming, tip your waiter and remember: I do parties and Space Shuttle Launches for free if the food rocks!”

All the tables were cleaned up and Riki was picking his teeth when Nade came out, wearing a blush colored silk robe,

“Hey, man!”

He pinched his eyes shut when she kissed his cheek,

“Thank fuck you were here, Donny! I thought I was gonna have to sing to a stuffy audience all night!”

“Yea, cuz I’m so damn lively…”

“Better than them, baby.”

She winked at him. Her eyelids were covered in glitter. He was about to answer when he flinched.  

“What’s the matter?”

“I really gotta piss…”

“Sure you do! You had three cocktails or something!”

He tugged at the chain, making Nade purse her lips,

“Oh… huh. That’s annoying.”

She loosened her earring and winked at him,

“Don’t tell.”

A sharp whine and a bright, needle-thin beam emitted from the earring and hit the chain. Riki barely had time to blink before it broke. He had several questions to ask her, but his body sent a shiver through him and he got to his feet,

“Agh, sorry! Thanks!”

Riki rushed off, having already scoped out exactly where the bathroom was.

The place was just as weird as the rest of the club. Pink, white and golden seemed to have been the only color available. He washed his hand in a pink faucet with water coming out of the head of some kind of bird. When he looked into the mirror, his eyes were shining.

What had been a shitty night had suddenly become the best one he had spent in Eos. Maybe Nade was the key to things getting better. She was not Bison-material, but she was fun enough that for a while, he had been able to laugh a little.

He was brought back to reality when he heard a scream from outside.  

“How could you let him go? You dim-witted slut!”

That voice was all too familiar, even with Nade shrieking over it. Riki darted back to his table where Iason had bent her over and was pulling her arms backwards like he was going to break them. Hot tears were rolling down her cheeks and messing up her makeup.

“STOP!!” Riki yelled, “IASON, QUIT IT!”

As soon as Iason registered him, he let go of Nade and rushed towards him.

“You’re here.”

“YES, I’M HERE, YOU PSYCHO!» He pushed him hard, to no effect, «WHY WERE YOU HURTING HER?”

He kneeled down by a shivering Nade. Even under the lace gloves he could see the marks Iason had left,

“Nade?”

“S-sorry, man…”

She grinned through the tears,

“Tried to talk him down…”

Riki stroked her bangs away from her eyes before turning around and glaring at Iason,

“And where the fuck were you, huh?”

“It doesn’t matter. We are going home.”

“No, wait…!”

“Now, Riki.”

“But you hurt her!”

“Yes, and I’m sure someone will tend to her.”

He hauled Riki up, dragging him away. The door shut just in time for him to see her bandmates crowding around her, and a nurse-bot being brought out.

 

Eos’ glittering light passed them by, but the beautiful sight was wasted on Riki. He was so furious he didn’t know what to do with himself. But for once, he took a deep breath and decided to take the more peaceful route:  

“So. You gonna tell me what I did this time?”

“I beg your pardon?”

“What did I do to deserve being chained up and left at that hellhole?”

“Nothing, Riki. I was merely late.”

“BY 5 HOURS?”

“Actually 4. I thought you could stand waiting an hour.”

“BUT I WAITED FOR 5! AND GODDAMMIT…! YOU COULD HAVE CALLED! OR AT LEAST LET THEM KNOW I COULD EAT!”

“The meeting was held in a place where there was no signal. It’s not customary for us to take breaks during these types of negotiations…”

“They said I couldn’t have anything until you got there!” Riki roared, “And if you say anything about me going hungry for longer than that, I’m jumping out of the car.”

The doors locked at that comment, and Riki fell back in his seat, arms crossed over his chest. Iason tried to reach for his hair, but he pulled away,

“I was not planning to say that.”

“… then whaddya have to say?”

“What is there to say?”

“…”

“Riki?”

“You could apologize.”

“Apologize?”

“You left me there for 5 hours with no food, water or a way to get to the bathroom. You didn’t even do that when you trained me.”

“I don’t have to apologize for anything. You knew something must have happened…”

“I shoulda just wet myself in public, huh? Great, I just wanted to know where we stand.”

“That’s enough from you.”

“FUCK YOU, BLONDIE! YOU ARE THE ONE WHO BROUGHT ME BACK HERE, AND YOU ARE THE ONLY PERSON IN EOS WHO WANTS ME TO BE HERE! IF I’M GONNA BE YOUR GODDAMNED PET, COULD YOU AT LEAST TREAT ME LIKE I’M WORTH SOMETHING?!”

Iason didn’t respond. He had to know Riki was right. He had only brought stress and misery to the Eos’ residents lives by introducing Riki to their eco-system.

“Pets are lower than shit, I stand by that. But I got eyes in my head. No one would leave their pet unattended like you did tonight.”

Probably because the damn pathetic things could choke to death on their own spit, but he didn’t say that.  

“And what about Nade, huh? She can go wherever she want, and talk like she want and…”

Riki yelped as the car was brought to a stop by Iason slamming his hands on the wheel,

“WILL YOU STOP TALKING ABOUT THEM?”

Iason’s usual low whisper had grown to a shout, and Riki knocked the back of his head in the window as he flinched.

“Nade and Ester are an abnormality, and their attachment, if you can call it that, is something  you should not be concerning yourself with! Nade is a joke!”

“But Ester doesn’t treat her like one!”

Iason sighed, and Riki curled up on his seat,

“… I just want a little respect.”

Iason was silent, still staring dead-ahead. Riki sighed and rubbed his forehead, wondering if he was preparing to hit him or throw him out of the car.

“Are you truly so miserable here?”

“Yes.”

“Even with the penthouse, the game room, the food and the clothes… Cal, too.”

“Yes.”

“You would give it all up so you could die on the streets of Ceres tomorrow?”

“Yes!”

“I see.”

Without another word, Iason started the car again, and took off. The rest of the ride was dead silent.

Even when they came home, and Cal greeted them and took their coats, they were quiet.

Iason disappeared into his study, and Riki went to the pet room, wondering how long it would take before the Blondie forced him back to his… their bed. His eyes had slipped shut when his communicator vibrated. Sitting up, he checked it. At least 9 messages ticked in almost all at the same time, but with different time stamps. All of them from Iason. One urging him to eat dinner without him. Another telling him to ask for a certain waiter who would be able to undo his chain. Three cursing the reception that wasn't there. 

 

_'These negotiations are a 'pain in the ass' as you put it. I regret I won't be able to join you this evening, but I assure you I will make it up to you. I had been looking forward to this all week.'_

Riki bit his lip.

Goddammit.

Slowly, he got to his feet and padded towards the door and then Iason's study. He knocked, and the door slid open to reveal Iason towering there, "Cal, I told you..."

"Hey."

"Riki."

"I think you owe Nade an apology. If you don't, Ester will rip you to pieces."

Iason's eyes got dark, so Riki held the communicator up,

"And you owe me dinner."

Iason seemed to calm down, and even touched his wrist as he examined the messages,

"Yes. I suppose I do." 

Riki nodded.

"Great. Not right now. I gotta sleep off the steak I had. But later."

"Very well."

"Cool. Goodnight."

"Wait."

He didn't have much say in the matter, because Iason had dragged him into an embrace. Riki was overwhelmed at the physical contact, but did his best to remain standing.

"It won't happen again. None of it."

The words were spoken very lowly, but Riki still heard them, and he would hold him to that.


End file.
